January 28, 1999
They Never Saw Me Coming
It was only a matter of time before someone with both eyes on the bucks realised mixing R&B with the lyrical preoccupations of gangsta rap was a commercially viable idea...
4 / 10
It was only a matter of time before someone with both eyes on the bucks realised mixing R&B with the lyrical preoccupations of gangsta rap was a commercially viable idea to rank alongside rehashing Police tunes for the hip-hop generation.
Enter South Central's TQ, a man with a fine eye for ghetto commentary, making tracks like 'The Comeback' and 'One More Lick' cautionary tales of Old Testament retribution, gun-barrel justice and needling paranoia. More Ice Cube's spiritual brother than romantic smoocher, 'Westside''s Usher-style homage to his late idols Easy E and Tupac rams home the point - this guy might sing rather than rap, but he's still coming straight outta Compton.
Sadly, like his idols, TQ is just as likely to descend into boasting about gangsta credentials and penile dimensions. Unlike them, he hasn't got the tunes to divert your mind from such repugnant shag fantasies as 'Your Sister'. So while he's the owner of a voice that could charm the birds out of the trees, he rarely raises the musical temperature above the tepid faux-soul of an Another Level B-side.
Still, the cash is safely his. But, contrary to his bedroom bragging, satisfaction isn't guaranteed.
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